5 Worst debuts in WWE history

Some of the worst debuts in wrestling history were devised from existsing plans

There are some characters we all want to forget. These are a few of them.

Professional wrestlers are supposed to have a look, a gimmick and chutzpah that fans identify with. It might be a catch phrase or a finishing move or the way they enter the arena. Then there are those who make such an impression on their debut in a promotion, they are talked about for years to come.

And I’m not talking about it being a good thing.

When you look back at these wrestlers and watch them in the ring, you wonder who gave the approval for the idea in the first place. Whether it’s WCW or WWE or any other major company, there are some debuts that are just that bad.

These are the five worst debuts in wrestling history.

#5 Glacier

Glacier had too much build and not a lot of bite

It seemed like it took forever for the futuristic character to make his debut in WCW and when he finally arrive, no one cared about him. You can thank the New World Order for that as it did not mattered who made their debut when Hall and Nash were controlling the cable dial.

Believe it or not, the character remained in the promotion for three years (1996-1999) but was a nominal talent at best. The gimmick similar to the Mortal Kombat character Sub-Zero, was introduced via a series of vignettes during WCW programming, which featured the tagline Blood Runs Cold.

It went nowhere fast.

#4 Shockmaster

Shockmaster was a disaster from the start

Fred Ottman (Tug Boat and Earthquake in WWF) was to make his debut in a match alongside the fan favorite team of Sting, Dustin Rhodes and Davey Boy Smith in the upcoming eight-man War Games match against the heel team composed of Sid Vicious, Big Van Vader and Kole at Fall Brawl.

It was possibly the biggest flop ever in the business. Legend has it and it is further backed up by video, Ottman attempted to make a dramatic entrance by crashing through the wall.

He tripped over a piece of lumber that was framing the set, causing him to fall forward through the wall with his helmet falling off and sliding across the floor. His face accidentally exposed, he scrambled to put the helmet back on.

#3 Zeus

Zeus was a character in No Holds Barred, but was a flop in WWF

Timy Lister appeared in the movie No Holds Barred, which was financed by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and starred Hulk Hogan. Lister's role was Zeus, a brutal monster heel. Vince McMahon wanted to take the movie to the wrestling ring and made Zeus a wrestler.

Lister was known as “The Human Wrecking Machine", and used the same "unfazable monster heel" gimmick in his matches – by no selling his opponent's more lethal moves. He would mispronounce wrestler's names, like referring to Brutus “The Barber" Beefcake as “Beefcake Barber.”

He wanted Hogan in the ring, citing jealousy of his success and his dominance in the business. The gimmick and Lister’s career was short-lived, needless to say.

#2 The Renegade

As you can see, there is quite a resemblance between Renegade and Ultimate Warrior

This is where imitation cannot replace the real thing. It also led to the character’s death. Rick Wilson was portrayed as a knockoff to the Ultimate Warrior, a character Hulk Hogan had a hand in creating. He ran down to the ring in war paint, shook the ring ropes and looked like his predecessor’s twin.

He even beat Arn Anderson for the World TV Title. He lasted in the promotion for four years, working singles and tag team matches but was ineffective and did not gain the crowd support the company thought he would acquire. He was released from WCW soon after. He died in 1999 of depression from his time in the ring.

#1 Gobbledy Gooker

How could Hector Guerrero agree to such a crazy gimmick?

It’s hard to believe Hector Guerrero would play the role of the one of the worst WWE gimmicks of all time. The Gobbledy Gooker "hatched" from an oversized egg, which had been on display at WWF events for months prior to the Survivor Series, and was heavily hyped on television.

However, crowd reaction to the gimmick was extremely negative, with fans loudly booing as the costumed Guerrero danced in the ring with announcer “Mean” Gene Okerlund. Remember that Guerrero was a solid tag team and singles star and a member of the famed Guerrero Family.

Once the company ended the gimmick’s run, it became one of the biggest mistakes of the Vince McMahon era.

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